Debunking Top 6 SEO Myths in 2022
In the world of digital marketing, SEO myths are rampant. Given the dynamic nature of Google updates, this isn’t surprising at all. For this reason, it’s crucial to stay updated with the latest SEO facts. Google’s ever-changing algorithms ensure that certain ranking factors go obsolete while new ones are introduced.
In this blog post, we will debunk the top 6 SEO myths that you must know in 2022:
Myth 1: On-Page SEO is All You Need
This is arguably the biggest myth out there. On-page search engine optimization is only a part of a more holistic approach. There are many other factors that you must take care of to rank on Google. That includes social media optimization, link building, and page performance. Make sure you combine these tactics with content creation, image optimization, and keyword research to improve your rankings. Your brand positioning should absolutely be clear and the website should be coherent.
Myth 2: SEO Affects Only Ranking
Ideally, your website appears in Google’s top search results. And for that, keywords matter a lot. However, it’s not just the rankings that are affected by SEO. Besides good click-through rates, it affects the user experience, user guidance, and usability. Bringing huge traffic to your website is important but certainly not enough. A visitor may watch a product video, fill out the contact form, or order something on the website. If the experience is not seamless, it doesn’t take long to close the website. Hence, ranking should not be the only goal of your search engine optimization strategy. The excellent user experience should be your priority too.
Myth 3: IT Department Can Handle SEO
This is another SEO myth that need to be addressed. Without a doubt, numerous technical aspects to it can be handled by the IT department. For instance, they can manage the loading times of the website and redirects. However, they cannot help with content marketing, keyword research, or content creation. For this reason, businesses need SEO analysts, digital marketers, and content creators to achieve their marketing goals.
Myth 4: The More the Keywords, The Better
Keyword stuffing is now actually a black hat SEO practice. Too many keywords without the actual context could possibly downrank your website instead of the opposite. You should never force-fit the keywords just for the sake of ranking. Google’s algorithms can understand the context or meaning behind the sentences. For this reason, the content should flow naturally and should make sense to the reader. Google ranks your content according to what’s good for the users. Keyword density is another myth that needs to be mentioned here. As long as your text reads natural, the number of keywords doesn’t really matter. However, you should not overdo it.
Myth 5: The More the Backlinks, The Better
Just like the keywords, there is a myth surrounding the backlinks. Of course, if your site has backlinks from authoritative websites, it’s good for SEO. However, it’s more about the quality rather than the quantity. There is certainly no place for link exchange or link buying tactics in the world of digital marketing. They have been clearly marked by Google as black hat practices and your content would immediately be treated as spam. Moreover, meaningless entries in web directories and web catalogs do nothing to increase the authority of your website.
Myth 6: SEO and Social Media Are Not Interdependent
As mentioned earlier, social media optimization is a big part of SEO. However, creating business profiles on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook is just not enough. It doesn’t impact your rankings. You need to optimize the content on your social media handles for it to appear on Google.
For this reason, search engine optimization and social media marketing go hand in hand. High-quality content takes the stage – whether it’s a website or social media.